2023 Karen Skvarla Fund Grant Recipient: Samantha Bruha (MA)
Photo by Meg McGuire Photography
As I reflect on my time spent training as a recipient of the Karen Skvarla Grant for Emerging Professionals, I realize the immense growth that this opportunity has provided. The funding enabled me to ride in 14 weekly lessons with classical dressage trainer Jodi Pearson-Keating on my six-year-old Quarter Horse, Denver. My goals while training with Jodi were to prepare myself and Denny to make our Second Level debut, achieving scores toward a USDF bronze medal in the 2023 show season.
At First Level, Denny and I were competent and capable but nowhere near ready to move up. When we began working with Jodi in the winter of 2022, many First Level movements still felt challenging. The most difficult movements were the lengthened trot and canter, for which Denver simply needed time and exercises to build strength and develop his balance.
Jodi helped me understand the movements of First and Second Levels while working at a slow pace to build Denver’s strength and confidence. One core takeaway that Jodi instilled in me was the value of the walk. Our warmup routine changed, consisting of simply testing all of the “buttons'' at a stretchy and slow pace. We broke down the leg yields into smaller, more digestible segments often taking only one to two steps and returning to straight before Denver became overwhelmed and unbalanced. The shoulder-in and haunches-in at the walk became a fun and effective warmup exercise to help Denver become more supple and understand the use of the aids at a slow, manageable pace. As our confidence continued to grow, leg yields and shoulder-in at the trot became much more relaxed and cohesive.
As a competitor herself, Jodi taught me the importance of geometry and accuracy in the test. At First Level, I often lost points on circles and the canter serpentine due to imprecision. Jodi pushed me to take the time to study the arena and never underestimate the importance of keeping your geometry accurate, even while training.
Unfortunately, as our training continued Denver began to struggle with SI and back soreness localized to the lumbar region. Holding the canter became difficult for him and we noticed behavioral changes that indicated discomfort and anxiety in response to movements that required significant effort from his hind end. I made the difficult decision to dial back our training and not compete in the 2023 season. We continued to train with Jodi but only worked as hard as Denver could physically and mentally handle based on our veterinarian’s advice.
As a horse professional, we often face difficulties with clients and their beloved equine partners that put their goals on hold, reminding us that horses are our partners, not machines. I believe the most important thing I learned from my training experience was the value of listening to my horse. I know this experience has made me much more equipped to support my students and the horses in my care who themselves will inevitably experience a setback in their training or goals.
After extensive evaluation from our veterinarian, strategic time off, and some management adjustments, Denver has begun full work again and we have hopes for a Second Level debut in this 2024 show season. Thank you to everyone at The Dressage Foundation and to all the generous donors. I am immensely grateful and cannot wait to give back to the equestrian community!
